Petals Scatter
by Aerowind Kinomoto
Summary: An early morning training exercise to learn more about each other's semblances takes a turn when the indomitable Yang is visibly shaken at the mention of being carried with Ruby's semblance. What could cause such a reaction? One thing's for sure, Weiss intends to find out. How bad could it be?
1. Chapter 1

I was aggravated. Like most things these days, my source of aggravation was one Ruby Rose. One Ruby Rose who was currently sitting on ground and shoving her face full of a rather...prodigious amount of cookies. It was almost awe-inspiring how quickly she could put them away. Normally the scene wouldn't bother me anymore, having been repeated more times than I could count, however…

"Dolt! This isn't the time, nor the place for that! You're the one that dragged us out here at this dust-forsaken hour in the first place, and I'm sure it wasn't just so we could watch you stuff yourself until you burst! Where did you even get those, anyway?" I asked in exasperation.

"Blake gave them to me," Ruby all but chirped. Wonderful. As if Ruby wasn't enough on her own. A Ruby hyped up on sugar was surely going to test my patience, especially so early in the morning. I'd almost be envious of her ability to be so perky after waking up if that section of my brain wasn't currently being taken up by being utterly annoyed by her.

"Where IS Blake, anyway?" I asked once I noticed our bow-haired compatriot was conspicuously absent.

"Well, I went to wake her up, but she wouldn't budge, so I threatened her with my trusty whistle! That got her moving! She even apologized to me for being so grouchy this morning by giving me this bag of cookies and promising to come down once she got ready, " Ruby belted out all at once. I don't think she even took a breath. A third presence made itself known as it tried to stifle its laughter.

"Sounds like you got played, sis. Nothing's capable of removing Blake from a warm bed on her day off except for pure force, " Yang interjected for the first time in the conversation. She seemed rather dead on her feet, Yang not being a morning person by any stretch of the imagination.

"Played? What do you mean, played?"

Unbelievable. She still didn't understand, despite having it almost spelled out for her. "Yang's saying that she distracted you with cookies so that you wouldn't drag her out with the rest of us, dunce! Why are we even out here, anyway?"

"But, but but she said-"

"Why. Are. We. Out. Here." I cut her off. I couldn't begrudge Blake for not being out here. I'd much rather be curled up in bed right now as well.

"Oh. Uh. Well, I thought we could, maybe, practice with our semblances?" Ruby finally managed to mumble out.

"I'm going back to bed," I deadpan at her. I already knew how my semblance worked. We all did. It was almost a requirement for getting into Beacon in the first place! Of all the inane things to wake us all up this early in the morning for. I turn around to head back to the dorms.

"Nononononono Weiss! Please just let me explain!"

Not like I had much of a choice. Ruby had latched onto my arm like a leech and wouldn't let go no matter what I did. "Alright fine! Just let me go, dolt!"

"Really? Okay, well, obviously we know how to use our semblances. After all, they're our semblances! If we don't know how they work, who does!"

"Your point, Ruby, " I say in exasperation. It is entirely too early for this.

"Oh. Well, um, I know everything about MY semblance, and I know a bit about Yang's since we grew up together and stuff, but I don't really know much about your glyphs other than they can make me even faster than normal! I don't really know much about Blake's semblance either, so I was thinking that maybe you guys were the same and decided to hold this session so we could all learn about each other's semblances together!"

"...and why are we out here so early?" I questioned cautiously.

"Because it's the only time the arena is empty, " a fourth voice joined in. Blake. It seems she decided to come down after all. Furthermore, Ruby's idea was surprisingly sound. It was almost easy to forget that she was the leader of team RWBY for a reason. Despite being a team for quite a while, they had never taken the time to just compare each others abilities. Damn. It looked like her bed would remain a distant memory.

"Oh? I was PAWS-itive you wouldn't make it down here, Blake, " Yang jumped in as her partner finally showed. I groaned. Good reason or not, it was entirely too early for Yang's awful puns.

"Blake! You showed up! I knew you would! See you two, Blake keeps her promises," Ruby all but beamed. "Anyways, now that we're all here, I thought I'd start, since my semblance is probably the most straight forward. I can go really really really really fast, though I can't really go that far with it yet. Here, I'll show you how far I can go! " Ruby said as she started bouncing on the balls of her feet. She was clearly ready to get the ball rolling. Despite that, she hadn't really said all that much about her semblance, and before I could get a word in edgewise, she was already off. I sighed. This was a good idea, as grudging as I was to admit it, but it wouldn't help anybody if Ruby just dashed off before answering any questions. Oh well. At least with Ruby, there was a decently reliable secondary source of information available.

"So Yang, anything you'd like to share about her semblance? Like how fast she can go, or how often she can use it, " Yang was grinning like the cat who caught the canary. It wasn't often that I asked her questions directly. That grin almost has me regretting asking questions. "How about weight? Could Ruby bring a person along with her?"

All of a sudden Yang went pale and the grin fell off of her face. It was rather startling. I don't think I had ever seen Yang without a grin on her face, other than the battle rage that came over her whenever something touched her hair. "Yang, what's wrong, " I ask as she clamps a hand rather hard down on my shoulder.

"Weiss, I know we don't always see eye-to-eye, but I'm telling you this as your teammate. Don't pursue this. Ruby's semblance is for her alone. Don't let her take you with her. You too, Blake, " Yang said with more seriousness than I had ever seen in her before.

"What do you mean? Why not?" I speak softly as if talking to a frightened animal. I had never seen Yang like this before. I had also never seen her at such a loss for words. She usually had a problem that was much the opposite.

"It...it...it's just horrible okay. I can't explain it. Just whatever you do, don't let her take you, " Yang shuddered one last time before walking off on her own.

"What do you think that was all about?" Blake chimed in. She appeared to be just as bewildered as I was.

"I have no idea, " I replied, "but I intend to find out."


	2. Chapter 2

"Alright everybody! Great job today. To the showers!"

I sighed in relief as our fearless (and mostly idiotic) leader finally called an end to this exercise. While certainly a fruitful morning, after three hours even Yang was starting to droop. It was a testament to Ruby's enthusiasm that she could still be so energetic. I hung back after Blake and Yang rushed off to wash the grime off of them, a feeling I could wholeheartedly appreciate right now, by the way, so that I could speak to Ruby alone.

"Hey Ru- slow down a minute, dolt!" I shouted as I grabbed her by the hood. It looked like she was just as eager as the other two to get out of here. Luckily she calmed down before she managed to strangle herself with her own clothing.

"Ow ow ow! Let me go, Weiss, " Ruby panics as I let her go, "What was that for?"

"I wanted to talk to you before you wandered off, " I said. There was no reason to beat around the bush. It was easiest to deal with Ruby when you were direct.

"Oh, really? Sure thing! " Ruby said as she perked up like a puppy. An eager gleam appeared in her eyes as she waited on me to answer.

"I want you to carry me. With your semblance, I mean, "

...and immediately that eager look disappeared and a rather skittish look took its place.

"I don't know Weiss. The morning's pretty much up and other people are wanting to use the arena. Besides, we've been working all morning! I don't think I have the energy right now. Maybe some other time?" Ruby said without really asking. I could tell just from her demeanor that all of that was poppycock. She was trying to avoid the issue much like Yang had, and I wasn't going to stand for it!

"Stop right there, Ruby Rose. This day was supposed to be about learning about each other's semblances, correct? This was entirely YOUR idea. So just...just grab me and poof us over to the door so we can both get out of here!"

"I- I can't, " Ruby stammered.

"And why not? Yang implied that you could."

"Because I like you, okay! " Ruby all but shouted. It brought me up short. Any counterpoint I could have thought of just evaporated like the morning's mist. She liked me? What did she mean by that? Did she mean-

"Sorry! Not like that! I don't, you know, like-you like-you. I meant that you're my friend. Actually you're more than that. You're the best friend I've ever had. You're my partner, you know?" Ruby explained as she calmed down a little bit. And the funny thing is, I did understand. Despite all of her faults, I was probably closer to Ruby than I was to anyone else in my life. Not my family. Not my friends before Beacon. Ruby Rose had wormed herself into my heart like a parasite that wouldn't let go. However, that didn't explain her reluctance at all.

"That doesn't make any sense at all, dunce! If I'm really so much of a friend to you, why are you hesitating so much?"

"Because I don't want you to hate me," the girl murmured, "I have it under good authority that it's not a very pleasant experience."

"Dolt, " I start softly, "no matter what happens, I'm not going to hate you. I couldn't if I wanted to. And trust me, I've wanted to sometimes, " I end with a smirk. She giggled and gave me a small smile back.

"I know, but even still, you'd behave differently around me, if even for a little while. Yang didn't even speak to me for a week after I did it with her, " Ruby explained a little more. That took me aback. I could understand it being incredibly jarring. Maybe even painful. But what could be so horrifying that Yang, the big sister who doted constantly on the younger, outright ignored her?

"It wasn't just Yang though. Our dad couldn't bear being in the same room with me for a while. Uncle Qrow probably took it the best. He just got pale and stuttered for a few days when he spoke to me. None of them could really explain what happened, so from then on, I just kept my semblance to me and only me."

I could understand Ruby's hesitance now. If that could happen to those closest to Ruby, what might it do to someone she had only known for a scant few months. However, all her story managed to do was pique my curiosity even more. Hopefully I wouldn't end up like the cat.

"Even still, " I kept my voice soft. All yelling at her would do right now is make her run away, "I still want to do this." It was more than curiosity at this point. I genuinely wanted to understand my partner better.

"But Weiss-"

"But nothing. I promise you. Nothing between us will change. How about this. If I do act differently I give you permission to...permission to...hug...me until act normally again, " I grunt out. I can't believe I said that. I know I all but admitted (to myself at least) that she was precious to me, but there's such a thing as going too far.

"Really?" She had perked up as soon as I said the word "hug". Ruby was a rather touchy-feely person, which was rather at odds with how shy she generally was. Free reign to hug me whenever she wanted must seem like winning the lottery to her. What have I gotten myself into?

"Really. So, what do you say? " I ask one last time.

"You promise that nothing will change?"

"I promise. Now let's get on with this before you change your mind, " I say to try and cut off any more reservations. Despite that, I can't help but feel nervous. Something about Ruby's semblance had shaken Yang. It had to be especially bad, considering she wouldn't speak of it, even now that she had ostensibly gotten over it. With trepidation, I latch onto Ruby. It occurs to me that this is the closest we've ever been by my own volition.

"Weiss, you're trembling. Are you sure you want to do this?" I could hear the small amount of hope she had in that question. Hope that I was about to dash.

"Just do it, dolt, " I sighed out without raising my voice. It wasn't worth it to get upset at her at this point. It was obviously hard enough as it was, for her.

"Okay then. Here we go."

And then the world blurred away.


	3. Chapter 3

I thought I was prepared for anything that Ruby could throw at me. I was wrong. The very first thing that I learned was that Ruby's semblance couldn't be explained as mere speed. The thing that Ruby commonly explained as "going really really fast" couldn't be farther from the truth. I made this idle observation as I felt my skin peel away. I could feel it as my muscles dissolved into the aether and my bones were broken down much like the dust I used every day. I felt my blood boil and evaporate, while my organs froze and shattered into billions of tiny, indistinguishable pieces. I felt it as my entire body vanished with Ruby's gentle coaxing.

It was terrifying.

I was separated from any and all sensory input. I couldn't feel the body that I had literally known for all my life. I couldn't feel anything at all. Everything that I had ever known was gone. Except for Ruby's presence. I couldn't see her. I couldn't even feel her in the traditional sense, as every part of me had withered away. But still, I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Ruby was right there with me. The sensations were horrifying, yes, but with Ruby's comforting presence, it was manageable. Surely, this couldn't be the reason Yang had clammed up earlier, could it? It was disconcerting. Horrifying, even. But nothing about the sensation explained just why Ruby's precious sister would avoid her for any length of time. It didn't make any sense.

Until it did.

After Ruby's semblance had finished stripping away body, it started in on my mind and soul. It chipped away at my very being, until I had to concentrate to even remember my own name. Weiss. I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. But even as I thought the words, I could feel them slipping away once again, like a siren's song, lulling me to my death. I could very easily understand why Yang was so traumatized by this experience, now. She was a person that knew exactly what she wanted in life. She was never burdened by indecision or doubt. There was no single person I could think of with a greater sense of individuality and confidence in herself than Yang Xiao Long. That's why I could understand. That which had always been there supporting her, to the point where she wasn't even aware of it, would have been brutally ripped away, leaving her feeling exceptionally vulnerable.

However, I am not Yang Xiao Long.

Most would consider me a strong individual. I had everything. I was heiress to the most powerful company in the world. People would flock from all around to hear my singing and see my beauty. I wasn't just attending the foremost school for huntsman and huntresses in the world, but I was excelling beyond all but the greatest of my peers. People gazed at me jealously at the charmed life I lead.

Too bad none of those things were me. I'm not even sure if there IS a person named Weiss Schnee. Oh, certainly, there was a bag of flesh that went by the name of Weiss, but now that it had scattered to the winds, did I actually exist? What exactly constituted Weiss Schnee, now that my body was no longer around? To be a person implies choice. Free will. The most important decision I had ever made in my life was where to wear my ponytail. Everything, from the very day of my birth, had been planned out and decided for me.

When I was a child I was forced to sing. Father's little songbird. It's not that I disliked singing, but the choice was made for me by the time I could barely talk. No, it wasn't even a choice. Choice implies that there was another path I could walk. Perhaps fate would be a better word. My life since the day I could walk was full of sixteen hour days that were planned out for me with meticulous detail. When to wake up. When to dress. When and what to eat and study. There was never time for a Weiss Schnee to simply exist. Father's will was all that mattered. It was a life that I didn't think could be emptier.

And then my sister was born. For anyone else, it would have been a joyous occasion. For me, I thought at least there would be someone to suffer with me. That was a foolish thought. I underestimated just how ruthless a man my father was. When my sister was born, my life changed from simply existing to competing for the right to exist. As an only child, I was my father's heir. As sisters, we were a commodity. To him, only the best of us could inherit the Schnee legacy. There was no need for two heirs. What should have been a loving relationship between two sisters was instead a bitter rivalry to survive.

It pains me to say it, but I was found lacking. It wasn't that I was less talented or diligent. I just couldn't find it in me to hate my sister. Even if we could barely be considered sisters, I had watched her grow. She suffered in this hell the same as I. But whereas I withered, she thrived. Sometimes I wondered if she even knew we were sisters. Regardless, she won father's favor, and, all of a sudden, I was a loose end. A hanger-on that no longer served its intended purpose.

From that day on, my life changed once again. My lessons became more physical. Brutal, even. I learned how to fight and manipulate dust. I was tutored in battlefield tactics and the history of war. Every day I was run ragged, to the point where the thought of rebelling never even crossed my mind. This was just another part of my fate. And when my father finally deemed me ready, he tested me. He tested me in a way that no father should ever treat their daughter. I fought for my very life. No help would come for me if I failed. The thought of my existence, meager as it was, coming to an end terrified me. I hadn't done anything yet! I was nothing more than a doll, forced to move at another's command and thrown away just as easily.

And just like that, I found myself at Beacon, almost before the scar on my brow had healed over. It wasn't because of a decision I made or a dream I had. It was just a convenient place for an unwanted heiress to end up. If I succeeded, then the fame of being a successful huntress would benefit the Schnee name. If I failed, then an inconvenient problem fixed itself.

This is why I wasn't afraid of the impending mental annihilation. As easily as I thought back on my life, the memories slipped away just as easily. The sister that never loved me. The father that never cared. The life I never lived. They all slipped away, like grains of sand falling through my fingers. And I didn't care. No, that's not right. I did care. In fact, I was invigorated. It's like every bad part of my life, every doubt, every fear, was being washed away by Ruby's gentle embrace. Of course it would be the dolt that would make me feel this way. She had latched onto me, almost from the day we met, and laid down roots in my very soul. She forced her way into my heart, even though I was kicking and screaming the entire way. Despite everything that happened, I don't regret coming to Beacon. After all, if I was never forced here like yesterday's garbage, I would have never found my Rose. Ugh, how incredibly sappy. Even still, I love her. More than I've ever loved anyone in my life. Not romantically. Nor even platonically. It was deeper. Our relationship was something more. I wanted to push her forwards. To stand proud amongst the hunstmen and huntresses of Remnant as an equal. Nay, as the very best. It was why I was right here, right now, pushing her to get over a fear which might in the future cause her harm. And even as these thoughts and feelings turned to ash, I wasn't afraid.

After all, after everything had bled away, every thought, every feeling, every memory. There was still one constant. I was here. And so was Ruby.

And it was beautiful.


End file.
